Work-life balance and time use: Lessons from Thailand

Abstract

The multiple responsibilities faced by married women in Thailand have made work-life balance an important issue for policymakers, as long work hours and lack of time for socializing and leisure can lead to a deterioration of health and well-being. Using the merged 2009 Thailand Labour Force Survey and National Time Use Survey data, the paper examines work-life balance situations by analyzing the determinants of unpaid work, market work and leisure time among 12,437 married individuals aged 25 to 60 years old. Rural women cope with tensions between their market work and household tasks by reducing their leisure time. Urban women manage their care responsibilities by reducing their time spent on market work. Although both women and men confront tensions between household and market work and between work and leisure, the tensions are likely to be more intense for women, affecting their participation in the labour market as well as their ability to achieve a healthy work-life balance. Some policy options to address this issue conclude this paper.